Process of manufacturing wire-glass.



PATENTED MAY 5, 1903.

F. & A. SHUMAN. PROCESS 0]?1 MANUFACTURING WIRE GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK SHUMAN AND ARNO SHUMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNORS TO THE CONTINUOUS GLASS PRESS COMPANY, OF PHILA- DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING WIRE-GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,007, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed June'14, 1902. Serial No. 111,747. (No specimens.) v

To a/ZZ whom it may concer-71,:

Be it known that we, FRANK SHUMAN and ARNO SHUMAN, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented au Improvement in Processes of Manufacturing Wire-Glass, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has reference to processes for manufacturing wire-glass; and it consists of 1o certain improvements fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form Va part thereof.

The object of our invention is to provide a x5 simple and effective manner of-manufacturing` wire-glass which shall disturb the surface of the glass as little as possible after first being subjected to rolling pressure, so as to preserve the hard and tough outer skin without imparting to it excessive brittleuess.

Our Objectis, further, to cause the Vmeshed Wire to automatically embed itself into the glass during the process of 'making the sheet of wire-glass, thereby obviating the necessity z 5 of pressing the wire down below the surface of the glass by mechanical means, such as a uted roller, entering the glass, as has heretofore been customary.

In carrying out our improved process we first prepare a special form of meshed wiresuch, for example, as set out in another pending application, Serial No. 111,744, bearing even date with thishaving a series of bent portions projectingawayfrom a plane through the twisted or knotted portions, and this meshed-wirelayer is fed downward and around a roller, such as is used in the manufacture of plain glass, and is thus rolled down into the sheet of glass and the excess of the molten glass pushed forward over, the table or bed on which the rolling operation takes place by the advancing roller. The projecting portions or bends of the meshed wire rest against the surface of the roller and hold the body of 45 the meshed wire away from the roller, so that the molten glass may freely pass up through the meshesto the roller, and thereby be acted upon. In this manner the projecting parts of the meshed wire become heated and very ductile, and as the advancing body of the glass immediately under and in front of the axes of the roller acts upon twisted or body portions of the meshed wire these twisted portions are pushed forward, and thus stretch the bent projecting portions resting against the roller, with the result that they pull away from the roller into the glass and become covered. Immediately after the wire glass is thus formed We prefer that it shall be treated to a smoothing action by a light pressure cre- 6o ated by a small roller to smooth down any little irregularities which may exist, though this is not essential to the carrying out of our process.

Our invention will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in which are shown suitable apparatus for carrying our invention into practice, the form of meshed wire, and the glass produced.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a lon- 7o gitudinal sectional elevation of a glass-rolling machine adapted for carrying ourinvention into practice. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the wire-glass and illustrates its process of formation. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the wire-glass, and Fig. 5 is a side eleva@I tion of a modified form of the meshed wire.

H is a smooth table of metal, upon which the sheet of glass A is rolled Yby the roller I, 8o also of metal and polished' on its surface. The shaft of this roller has gear-wheels L, which mesh with racks K on the sides of the table H for positively propelling the roller over the table while being rotated. A hand- 85 wheel P may be employed to rotate the roller I. The roller I runs uponguide-strips J, the

thickness of which regulates the thickness of the sheet of glass to be rolled.

M is a shoe,which consists of two side plates 9o connected by rods. This shoe rests upon the table H and is pushed along by the advancing roller I. The function of the shoe is to confine the glass laterally, and thereby limit the width of the sheet.

O is a frame extending rearwardly land has journaled to it the guide-gears L. The carriage so formed has an upright guide P, curved at the top, as at P.

I is a small roller arranged in the rear of roo the roller I and is loosely journaled in bearings 'i inthe frame O to give slight vertical adjustment. Y like roller I, runs upon the guide-strips J and has for its function the smoothing ofthe surface of the glass of any slight irregularities caused by the pulling of the Wire, but without disturbing the body ofjthe glass.

N represents the glass in the ball or molten condition, whereas A represents the rolled sheet of glass with the meshed wire B incorporated within it.

The meshed wire to be rolled into the glass is shown at B and is fed down the guide Pin front of the roller I and back of the ball of glass N. The meshed wire then extends under the roller I into the body of the sheet of glass. The meshed wire B is composed of a series of wires C, twisted together at intervals, as at D, and spread so as to form open meshes connected by diagonal wires E. The twisted portions D lie in approximately the same plane, and the connecting-wires E are bent or curved outward, so as to formfeet or supports by which to sustain the meshed wire away from the surface of the roll l. After these curved portions E have been acted on by the heat and forward motion of the glass they become stretched, and they are less curved, as indicated at F, and in this case the glass flows between the roller I and the wire.

The operation will now be understood. The meshed wire being made as described is inserted through the guide P and supported by the clip T, so that the end hangs slightly higher than the advancing glass. A ball of molten glass N is placed upon the table immediately in front of the roller Iand the roller started. After that first small portion of the lump of glass technically called the cold spot has been rolled out the clip T is released and the wire mesh allowed to drop immediately in front of the roller I and is drawn under it. As the roller advances it pulls down the Wire in front of it. The glass flows forward through the meshes and heats the.

curved parts E of the wire and stretches the heated meshed wire and more or less straightens the bent or curved portions E thereof until they assume the shape F within the glass and are moving away from the roller. This causes the wire to be wholly surrounded by the glass, which is then rolled down to a definite thickness by the roller I and, if desired, smoothed by an auxiliary roller I.

While in practice we have found it best to have all of the bent portions E on one side of the plane of the twisted portions D, nevertheless some of said curved portions may extend upon the other side, (upward,) as shown at E in Fig. 5. It is also evident that the same general result would be secured if a portion of -these connecting wires were straight, as shown at E2 in Fig. 5, as there would still be sucient curved portions to actin the manner above speciiied. The

It is preferable that this roller,

meshed wire or metal layer may be made in any way desired provided it has supporting portions and is made extensible by stretching with capacityfor lowering the supporting portions withinthe glass under said stretching operation, as set out. 1

The auxiliary roller I'. gives light pressure upon the surface of the glass and vis only used to increase the smoothness of the surface by smoothing out slight waves or irregularities caused by the pulling ofthe wire. If desired, it may be dispensed with. Neither the rollers I or I' in any way enter the glass, and consequently do not directly break its surface, and therefore the tough skin produced in the first instance is left undisturbed.

In this application We make no claim to the article of wire-glass nor the structurel of the meshed wire, as they form subject-matter for other applications of even date with this.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The herein-described method ot' manufacturing wire-glass consisting in supporting the main body of a meshed-wire layer slightly away from a moving surface by extensions from said meshed wire, placing molten glass under and against said meshed wire and forcing it to flow through the meshes and around the supporting portions adjacent to the surface to form a support for the meshed wire and heat the same, then rolling the mass of molten glass and meshed wire down upon a hard surface and moving the excess of the molten glass in advance of the moving surface, stretching the meshed wire by the moving mass of molten glass so as to draw down the supporting portions' of the meshed wire away from the moving surface to a point within the body of the glass, and completing the operation by continuing the rolling" of the glass to bring it to a definite thickness after the meshed wire has been drawn clear of the moving surface. y

2. The method of making wire-glass which consists in supporting a meshed wire partly upon and partly away from a moving surface, applying molten glass under and against the meshed wire so as to surround and heat that portion adjacent to the glass, rolling the glass so as to hold the meshed wire down into the glass and move the mass of glass forward while the meshed wire remains stationary, stretching the heated meshed wire by the moving molten glass and surface so as to lower the upper part of the meshed wire into the glass and permit the glass to flow above it, and subjecting the glass and meshed Wire to pressure to compact them and bring the sheet of glass to the required thickness.

3. The method of making wire-glass which consists in supporting a meshed wire partly upon and partly away from a moving surface, applying molten glass under and againstfthe meshed wire so as to surround and heat that portion adjacent to the glass, rolling the glass ICO IIO

so as to hold the meshed Wire dovvn into the glass andinove the mass ofV glass forward while the meshed Wire remains stationary,

stretching the heated meshed Wire by thev moving molten glass andsurface so as to lower the upper part of the lneshed Wire into theglass and permit vthe glass to iiow abovev it, subjecting the'glass and meshed Wire to pressure to compact them and bring the sheet ro of glass to the required thickness, and finally smoothing out any irregularities in the top surface of the glass by a second rolling action. y A

rIn testimony ofV which invention We have hereunto set our hands.

A FRANK SHUMAN.

ARNO SHUMAN.

Witnesses:

R. M. HUNTER, R. M. KELLY. 

